BLOGUE

At its heart, Tesla Motors is an engineering company. We get invited to a variety of events because of our technical expertise as well as a general interest in what we are doing and how we are doing it. I often get asked what it is like to work at Tesla Motors and to describe some typical problems we solve. Here is my take on those questions, based on my own experience and a swift survey of some of the other engineers.

Too Close for comfort

A typical day at Tesla Motors is never typical. Each day is different. Everyone has multiple responsibilities – mine have ranged from running the Power Electronics (PEM) team to moderating the blog comments. There is never a dull moment – especially with the blog. It is a great way to stay in touch, and I get a real kick out of the halibut filter! (That’s our version of the profanity filter, in case you didn’t know.)

At Tesla Motors, we spend a lot of time fine tuning CAD (Computer Aided Design) drawings to build a virtual car. It takes us up to the prototype stage when we actually start to build a real car. This helps to iron out any unexpected "features" – but not all of them. One such "feature" we missed on our Engineering Prototypes (EPs), was “the clash of the charge port door and the driver's door.”

We didn't realize it was a problem until we fully opened both at the same time. As one engineer opened the nifty charge port door to see the fancy charging lights, another opened the driver's door to work on the electronic door latches. The clang of the doors was nothing compared to the hushed horror of the engineers. Fear not - the clash is no more. We’ve corrected the problem, and it will be implemented in our next prototype version.

Yes, that's a bottle

Choosing a washer bottle for the car should be straightforward, right? I thought so, but apparently not. The washer bottle is usually one of the last things to be designed. Consequently, it takes on the shape of the available space. Although there are thousands of shapes and sizes of washer bottle out there, there is never one that is exactly right. Take a look at our washer bottle – a weird shape to maximize the volume in an odd-shaped space.

The Tesla Roadster comes in 12 colors. Each color has a name and, oh boy, the naming took some time! After several PR and design people took a run at it, we held a competition amongst the employees. There were a few good suggestions, and several odd ones. (“Kill Me, I Have No Taste” was a particular favorite.) We were running out of time. Three Tesla Motors executives, Martin, Mike, and Malcolm, were dragged into a conference room (by me) and were not allowed out until each color had an agreed upon name. It took nearly three hours, with “Very Orange” and “Thunder Gray” proving to be the toughest. It was only three hours but it felt like a week.

Fast Torque

Once the EPs were built, they were put to the test. It’s a hard life when testing involves driving a performance car, but someone has to do it. The PEM team was convinced that they could get more power from the PEM. This would result in more power to the motor, which would deliver more torque, thus improving the acceleration. Phew.

They moved around the Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs) in the motor power driver to make room for 12 more. The increase in torque was noticeable. The result was a quicker 0-60 time – it shaved off about 3/10 second. You can see the increase in torque from the additional IGBTs in the Fast Torque graph. (Click on the graph to enlarge it.) It shows an increase of about 25% in the middle of the RPM range. Nice.

Getting it right takes time ...

One of the first design tasks is the clay model. This is a skilled and serious task. Take a look at this picture of the clay model in process. You can see where the silver finish is being applied to the clay to assess the highlights on the bumper surface. We used Lotus Design to complete our clay models for the Tesla Roadster – you can see an M250 in the background.

... but, it's not all work!

Now look closely at the door handle gap. What do you see? Yup, it’s a rat and his name is Roland :-)

---

Editor's note: Want to know more about our “Halibut” filter or the guidelines we use to moderate the blog comments? We’ve created a new page that outlines our policies, and we encourage you to take a look. You can find the page listed in the left navigation area of the blog page or click here to visit now.

Martin has been out and about (did you see the Blackberry ads?) and has been relying on his team - and customers - for articles. Martin will be back next week with a new blog article! Yey!

Thanks for sharing this. The Tesla Roadster almost seems too good to be true, too gargantuan a task for a small startup automaker to tackle until a blog post like this points out some of the details. I remember the first time I read about the Tesla, and my first reaction was to think it was going to end up in perpetual development, like Moller's Skycar (http://www.moller.com), or that it was another Tilley Delorean that was too good to be true (http://www.greaterthings.com/news/Tilley/).

It was obvious after the first or second blog post that this was the real deal. The continued posts continue to reinforce this fact, and further amaze us with what this company has accomplished (and is still accomplishing so far). Keep posts like this coming, it is great to hear about the details contributing to this car's success, and to hear from other people involved.

Engineering Director and Blog Moderator are two titles you don't usually see on the same business card!

The fuel filler door fiasco sounds like "dirty laundry". Thanks for sharing and being open about your mistakes along the way.

## In the previous blog page David wrote on November 20th, 2006 at 6:53 pm
# In response to TEG -
# I was under the impression that existing diesel-electric generators were more than 96% efficient - is that correct?

Perhaps the 96% you saw was uptime? (You can run a diesel generator with 4% downtime for maintenance)

# And they should be able to create electricity much faster than an electric motor could consume it

If you are cruising on the highway you need continous power generation or else the batteries would run down.
You would probably need at least 25hp to keep the car going on the freeway at speed, so that would require a rather large generator.

Internal combusion motors (gasoline, diesel, etc.) are the weakest link in the efficiency chain (being 20-40%) so your idea of improving on the gas/diesel vehicle by using an ICE generator to an electric motor is misguided. The problem with the ICE is not the coupling to the drive wheels or transmission system, but the process of burning fuel to make power in the first place.

I think Tesla should down the road look into using their motor/electronics/battery technology in other vehicules-particularly for use in environmentally sensitive areas, like: vehicules/trams in national parks, snowmobiles & ski area grooming vehicules (every major world ski resort would go for this big-would the Tesla motor also be a more efficient ski lift motor?) , ATV's /dirtbikes. Then there's boats & jetskis-a shocking use for the technology (not !-hopefully). Also, how would the Tesla motor do in wind or river/tide turbines, compared to the avg. generator? Eventually planes & diesel trains should be "Teslafied" as well.Also, is the Tesla motor design more efficient in elect. use? If so, could it be put into home/commercial HVAC air handler motors, providing same or more power with less elect. use?Is the design just good with larger motors, or also smaller ones like these? This could be a use with big environ. impact. The future is definitely elect./solar-when batteries improve ("nanolithium or?) there's going to be a worldwide "sea change". One day will there will be a large "Tesla Technolgy Center" building to diversify the Tesla products/ technology?

Peter J Hedge

8:42pm | Nov. 22, 2006

I'm curious as to what CAD (Parametric modeling) system your are using at Tesla. Pro Eng? Solid Works? Inventor? Or is it possibly some other system I'm not familiar with?

Thank you for this entry. It goes a long way toward demonstating the reality of this vehicle.

T.J.

12:14am | Nov. 23, 2006

The Wright Bros. first flew in 1903, Boeing flew his first plane in 1910. So how come we don't fly in Wright Airplanes today instead of Boeing? This is why Tesla should keep the pedal to the metal.

Don Moffitt

12:21am | Nov. 23, 2006

I am fascinated by the whole concept. The first delivery to the market that meets your claims is a guaranteed instant success. Why have the big Japanese and US companies dropped similar projects. I must admit i do not believe your claims or I would be ordering 2 or 3 cars today. what can you do to dispel my fears. Or explain, why you, and not GM.

Don Moffitt

Mick

2:20am | Nov. 23, 2006

[Don Moffit]:

Tesla has the advantage of not being entrenched in an archaic and expensive infrastructure consisting of nearly incomprehensible feedback loops with outside businesses. GM and other car companies offer a great guide in 'how not to succeed in the long term', and if subject to the whims of evolution and natural selection, without government interference, would surely perish as the climate, both economic and literal, changed too quickly to adapt.

Malcolm Wilson

5:12am | Nov. 23, 2006

Dear Mr Moffitt

If you say that you do not believe a manufacturer's claims, then is there anything that they really can do to dispel your fears? Have a read of this:-

You seem to be saying that "Unless I hear it from (insert giant, global car maker of choice), I won't believe it" but of course, they have a vested interest in you continuing to believe them as well :)

Roy Harvie

7:14am | Nov. 23, 2006

Don: Do you believe that the information in this web site is fictional? The major car companies spent over a billion dollars back in the 1980's and 90's and produced vehicles like the EV1. Their main problem was that they couldn't design a battery with sufficient power in a small enough package. They gave up and decided to focus on fuel cells instead. Fuel cells were not their first choice! Mean while battery technology has been improving and the Tesla engineers recognized that Lithium Ion batteries had progressed far enough to make it possible to build an electric car that could go a reasonable distance. Is it this distance claim that you do not trust? I think their claim is reasonable given the technical information presented in this web site. The high cost of batteries and packaging has made it impratical for a cheap car, but this will eventually change. Big car companies have to make plans far in advance and is difficult to change direction. The fuel cell cars they are designing to-day have electric motors and power control similar to the Tesla Roadster. It would be easy for the car manufacturers to pull out the fuel cell and hydrogen tanks and replace them with batteries. As soon as practicle batteries are available in large quantities they will do this. Tesla's battery system is not pratical for a large scale family sedan production run. www.polyplus.com has made incredible claims about future battery possibilities, I don't know when these may be available in commercial quantities but 5 years is not an unreasonable time to bring new technology like this to market. If successful in 5 years the big car companies will scrap fuel cells and go this route but right now they cannot count on it.

Roy Harvie

7:37am | Nov. 23, 2006

I am glad to learn that Tesla engineers moderate these blogs. I know there have been many wacky ideas presented in the past suggesting infinet power systems like Tilley's fraud referred to above be used to power the Tesla Roadster. Fortunately Tesla engineers know to ignore these, but I hope that more reasonable suggestions will be evaluated seriously in future designs. This allows direct public input to the people that count. It is nice to be heard. I once submitted a 15 point list of improvements I though would be desirable on improving the 1995 Pontiac Trans Sport. Instead of being thanked for customer input I was critized for "pretending to be a better engineer than the Pontiac engineers". Keep up the good work you deserve high praise for showing the world and the auto industry that an all electric non-poluting car can be exciting and desirable!

Kirk

8:18am | Nov. 23, 2006

Why not GM? I think the answer is pretty simple. Beyond some "conspiracy theory", the real answer lies in the business model that traditional car companies have setup for themselves - the money is in the service and parts. The cars themselves are the "loss leaders" and all the money is made on the backend - all those oil changes, spark plugs, camshafts, brake pads, etc.

Unfortunately, electric cars require very little service. First generation electric cars only required new brushes on their electric motors - now Tesla has done away with that. Beyond tires, headlights and the occasional fender bender, there ain't gonna be much money servicing electrics - except for the battery manufacturers. :)

I hope Tesla keeps going - this little company could literally change the world we live in. But there are a lot of forces to be reckoned with. In a world where the tax credit on hybrids is being phased out while a tax break on SUVs remains in place, the battle will definitely be uphill. I expect a FUD campaign on electric cars that will be fairly brutal, but I'm optomistic that the enough people already see the promise this technology holds.

BTW, you guys really need to get those Tesla hats, t-shirts, jackets and coffee mugs on your website. There are many of us eager to advertise your cars for you - and even pay for the priviledge!

Roy Harvie

8:22am | Nov. 23, 2006

I am curious about your 12 additional IGBTs. You probably want to keep this as a Tesla secret, but I will speculate anyway. I saw on somebodys weblsite (AC Propulsion?, their web site has changed and I cannot find their schematic) an improved dirve where doubling up on IGBTs using the second set on every alternate pulse, resulted in a much lower distortion sine wave. Is this what you did? or simply added the extras in parallel to lower on resistance? Any way more power to you for significant improvements on the industry standards.

Peter J Hedge

9:38am | Nov. 23, 2006

I read somewhere that two of the most “polluting” devices in the world are the gas- powered lawnmower (both ride-on and hand propelled)and the “putt-putt, two stroke motorbike.” If that is the case – and assuming it hasn’t already been done – maybe some entrepreneur should look into developing and marketing battery driven versions of these two. I’m thinking of the environment I hasten to add. Not zero to 60 in four seconds mowing my front lawn!!!!

Three question.
Do you guys make or have plans to make some kind of trailer that holds batteries, that could be pulled behing the car to extend it's range. Or is there some other technolgy advancements in battery technolgy that is comming down the road that would take you past the 250 mile range?
It does not say on your website exactly how long it take to charge the car, it just says over night is that 8 hours, 12, hours 14 hours?

Are there plans in the future for passenger vechical?

Wayne

1:28pm | Nov. 23, 2006

Don,

The Tesla has an automobile chassis driven by an electric motor. The motor is a 3-phase
induction motor. The power controller is driven by computer logic and well understood
power devices. There's only one thing that is really new here - and thats a battery pack
with almost 7000 batteries. Why do you think this whole thing is a hoax? Do you think
making an electric car is so hard? In 50 years most new cars will be electric. Its simpler,
cheaper to manufacture, better controlled, and the battery technology gets better every
year. Compare to the computer industry. Twenty years ago PCs were toys of the rich.
Today they are everywhere, they have hard drives 1000 times larger, CPUs 50 times faster,
they have memory 1000 times larger, and they cost a quarter as much. If basic battery
technology gets twice as dense, with cells sized for the application, and a quarter the cost,
with a lifetime 4 times asl long... everyone will drive electric cars. An electric motor has
1 moving part - compare to an ICE with hundreds or thousands.

Now all that said, the design, marketing, funding, logistics, and manufacturing of a car is
clearly a multimillion dollar undertaking and to do it as an independent takes a whole lot
of cojones. It is a lot of work and risk. The key is that Tesla have not leveraged a single
new primary technology. All their components are off the shelf. The Tesla value add is
improvements in specific components and protected (ie patented) intellectual property.
It is the blueprint for a perfect startup company.

As others have stated, the american car companies are basically a business study in
how to go out of business. In fact GM crushed their first electric car fleet - that is how
much foresight and leadership they have.

This is a classic study in natural selection. The dinosaurs will die because they are too
big and heavy and they can't adapt to the first major upset in their business model in
100 years. New competitors who do adapt will fill their place.

T.J.

2:45pm | Nov. 23, 2006

Polyplus-this could be good-& Altairnano? (& maybe EEStor)-not forgetting Nanosolar as well. Just in time for the Tesla sports sedan? Yes, this could be good, alright-I certainly hope so!

doug

3:48pm | Nov. 23, 2006

peter: electric lawn mowers already exist, mine is 25 years old and just plugs into the house, as for electric motor bikes, i think they exist too, however i would prefer a horse despite the methane they produce. btw tesla has some new cal. competition, electric SUTruck and SUV, 2007 production, altair nanosafe batts. , $45k price tag and ed begley grinning from ear to ear!

## Don Moffitt wrote on November 23rd, 2006 at 12:21 am
# Why you, and not GM.

(Throwing opinions out as if I know what I am talking about):

Selling a few hundred or a few thousand of a very high priced auto is probably not too interesting to the bean counters at the big auto makers. They have shareholders who want to see profits, and those profits come primarily from more mainstream vehicles that sell in the 100,000s or millions. Tesla's current business is barely a blip on GMs profitability radar.

Also, it seems that the Tesla Roadster is designed and engineered but a small group of passionate enthusiasts who know exactly what they want. A large committee at a big auto manufacturer would be less likely to come up with something so focused.

Now it isn't impossible or unthinkable that a big car company could someday make a Tesla like car.

For instance, they frequently contract with outside design houses to make show car prototypes to gauge public opinion and show off that they can be different. Take for instance, the Toyota Volta concept:

Usually they don't make a lot of money on cars like those. It is sort of an image statement. Like the Concorde was to British Airways and Air France.

The GM Impact was a concept car that "leaked out" into production as the EV1.

Eric

4:43pm | Nov. 23, 2006

Peter, while it's true that both lawnmowers and motorcycles pollute considerably more than traditional automobiles per mile driven, they typically pollute far less per year than the automobile. This is simply due to the fact that you don't travel 10,000 miles in one year on your lawnmower or motorcycle, like you would an automobile. However, I do have an electric weed-whacker (higher pollution typically like the lawn mower) and I love it, works great.

I agree that they should come out with cleaner technologies for these vehicles for the same reasons you stated, but starting with automobiles is the best way to make a big impact environmentally. To go even further, it's probably of greatest benefit to target fleet vehicles first, as they typically put on many more miles in a calendar year than personal automobiles, and often travel less distance on a daily basis, making the electric concept more feasible, at least until battery capacities or rapid charge technologies become more mainstream.

I for one, would like to see the USPS replace all of their urban delivery vehicles with EV's... That seems like a perfect application for today's technology. Fortunately Tesla is proving to all of us that today's technology is starting to be capable of much more than 100-mile per day commutes.

A great peek behind the curtain. A 25% gain in torque is nothing short of amazing. And those little parts collisions that drive designers to drink! My company recently spent three weeks shaving 0.2 mm off of a PCB, after we discovered the production tooling for the product's case didn't quite clear the USB port.

Peter - lots of electric motorbikes & lawn mowers, etc. on the market. Same old problems, expensive, slow, poor range and heavy. A123's fast-charge battery packs are making great inroads into the portable tool market, so there might be hope for the future. But, I don't think I'll ever be able to buy an electric tractor that can cut my four acres of brush.

I salute you. There is class written all over this car.I am starting now to save money to buy the car. We have alittle Fourth of July parade in Ventura.Ca. If you would like I am willing to drive the car in the parade to advertize the car. [Contact info removed.] Keep up the good work.

T.J.

12:33pm | Nov. 24, 2006

Tesla should develop a river -bottom turbine using their efficient elect. motor, then get with the likes of "Local Power Co.-Oakland" to get them dropped in such locations as: the Columbia River-at Portland, the Mississippi at St. Louis, the entry to the S.F. bay,and ,but of course: the St. Lawrence Seaway.Someone's doing this on the Hudson River.

i absolutely love this car you guys designed. me being a family man your company should seriously look into minivans , there is a lot of environmentaly friendly familys in north america that would buy one in an instant , it cost 50 dollars every two weeks for our mini van. It never leaves the city but drive around town to soccer games and ymca lol. an electric one would be awsome dont have to worry about gas all the time . im sure the wife would love that idea.

Peter J Hedge

2:47pm | Nov. 24, 2006

Re: david_42

Oh I don't know. When Tesla's technology has caught on I'm sure there will be an electric tractor equivalent hat will more than meet your requirements.

Let's see. A t 130 mph and four acres to deal with . . . PDQ I would think!!!

The firefly battery came from a guy at Caterpillar trying to make a better battery for their mower. Thinking the world is going the E way.

David Kosowsky

7:53am | Nov. 25, 2006

Tesla sure seems to have put a lot of excellent thought into their decisions, engineering or otherwise. The closer the Roadster's features are looked at, the more impressive they appear. In many ways, it's a lot easier for a small company starting from scratch like Tesla to innovate and bring a car like the Roadster to market than it is for the big car companies. Big Auto has a lot of "momentum" in their operations and charge is very, very expensive.

Angus Rollings

3:45pm | Nov. 25, 2006

Does your electric motor use alot of copper? I hear there is not enough copper in the world to provide every household / person with an electric vehicle?
Well our chinese cousins are buying up copper like theres no tomorrow [as with most other raw materials]
...so is there any truth in that?!

Angus Rollings

4:01pm | Nov. 25, 2006

If we all switch to electric cars......How is our beloved governments going to tax us all without oil?! [UK govt here obsessed with taxing anything that moves or doesnt move]
I think suddenly the cost of electric to charge our electric cars will be subject to increasing tax...or maybe higher road tax ? tax per mile? or all three ...grrr

Please please guys dont be greedy and get your selves bought out by the big oil companies for a fast buck [we all need you and the environment]...thats usually what happens....or still ....keep safe if you know what i mean...its big big money out there alot at stake for them and the corporate car companies!
its the sad old Capitalism verses eco warrier time!....we would all love to switch to your motors and you guys are going to have to expand like halibut or sell your technology to competitors with a price percentage per unit sold?

Roland Crane

8:24pm | Nov. 25, 2006

That's a lousy name for a rat.

Really.

Chris Bohn

9:19pm | Nov. 25, 2006

To all the Tesla Employees........Keep up the good work!!!! I am an avid lover of electric vehicles. I hope the Big Auto Industry feels your wrath someday. I will be purchasing a new Telsa vehicle soon!!! Thank You!!!! Our entire world THANKS YOU!!!!

flabby

9:34pm | Nov. 25, 2006

""Joshua Mize wrote on November 24th, 2006 at 11:16 pm
Heres some news about the Tesla Sedan""

very, very excited about the sedan now. wonder how much kick the more powerful motor will add.

That surprises me if they do what it says to have the motor up front with rear wheel drive. Drive shafts hurt efficiency, cut into cabin space, and are a maintenance item. I would have thought the PEM could go up front but still have the electric motor in the back between the rear wheels.

New more powerful motor for the Roadster? Isn’t 0-60 in less than 4 seconds quick enough already ?!

Also having two versions of the sedan seems like a good idea.
Smaller battery pack for less $, less weight and less range (if you can live with it).
The full range version reserved for those willing to spend the extra battery $ if they really need the extended range.

Two powetrain variants seems fairly typical for sedans like that.

BMW 325i / 330i
BMW 530i / 540i
Lexus IS250 / IS350
etc…

David Smith

2:40am | Nov. 26, 2006

This halibuting car is going to be so halibuting sweet. I'd sell my mother to a halibut to afford one.

Iz

4:52am | Nov. 26, 2006

Joshua, thanks for posting the Autoblog link.

Can the fine people at Tesla confirm the accuracy of the Autoblog content?

As one who would be highly interested in purchasing the sedan, the information regarding dimensions similar to those of the BMW-5 series is welcome news. If the sedan can have ~ 114” wheelbase and ~ 190” length, sales will go through the roof (IMHO). Potential buyers will not be looking for a small sedan. They will be looking for safety (side air bags, accident avoidance systems, stability control) and the ability of occupants to walk away from accidents with as little injury as possible, particularly children.

Living in NY I find that front wheel drive works much better on snow covered roads (hint, hint). The sedan will have broader appeal if it is aimed at those who think green but also think safety.

If the sedan is priced at about $45k with a 250-300 mile range and has excellent safety ratings don’t be surprised if they are sold faster than the roadster.

M. Smith

5:04am | Nov. 26, 2006

What was logic in Tesla's strategy in making their first commercial vehicle a sports car that the average consumer can't afford? I thought the whole idea is that we wanted the masses to support electric vehicles. Are there plans for a car to fit a small family?

Now if only we can push the Lotus connection / get them to drive the car at the Hethel test track.....

matt

3:03pm | Nov. 26, 2006

I have a question for other blog readers: has anybody heard any recent news about Wrightspeed? Their news section of the site stopped in May. I will be seeing the Roadster in person for the 2nd time soon at the LA auto show. I am counting the days and am very excited. I am looking to buy the higher end sedan in 2009. Can't wait! Way to go, Tesla Motors!

Raymond Michiels

3:29pm | Nov. 26, 2006

Shaving .3 seconds off of the 0-60 time, does that bring it below the magical 4.0?

Editor's response: The Tesla Roadster does 0-60 MPH in about 4 seconds. That's with the motor power driver improvements.

Ronald Greene

3:56pm | Nov. 26, 2006

This is a very interesting website because what you are seeing here is a battle for technology that will free access to clean energy away from the oil companies. They have of course already have decided what kind of car you will have that will keep profits rolling in, a fuel
cell electric. I mean, it really makes no sense to have cars produce electricity to run its own electric motor. Fuel cell cars are therefore very
complex and heavy and will always perform poorly compaired to an electric car. But these companies want profits and such cars will
need comstant fixing because of all the complex task they will be required to do. For example, getting the hydrogen to run these fuel
cell cars is going to cause more polution than it will save. Further, the water given off by the fuel cells as waste must be kept in perfect
balance or the motor will stop. These car will be a nigthmare for their owers because they will cause many more times the problems
that ICE's do.

What Tesla needs is time to further develope it's technolgy. Look at all the money being spent on fuel cell research. Why? Because hydrogen can be controlled just like gasoline and so will the price of it whereas all you have to do with an electric car is just plug it in.
Electric is the fuel of the furture and hydrogen is just a bad idea to make money for people who already have way more than they will
ever need.

Hi there. Any plans to make components (Battery module, PEM, Motor etc) available for sale to enthusiasts converting their own cars to electric drive? I live in New Zealand and I suspect it will be a long long time before I can get a Tesla car down here.

Steve Talyor

10:52pm | Nov. 26, 2006

Great "behind the scenes" info on what it is like to work at Tesla! It must be quite a ride creating a new car company from scratch. I like the idea of Silicon Valley taking on the big auto companies and I can't wait to see Tesla Roadster's cruising the streets.

What do the green folks on this blog think of the renewed interest in nuclear power for elecricity generation? There is an article in this weeks Economist : http://www.economist.com/world/international/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8... . I guess it would be good for reducing carbon emissions but I can't help feeling uneasy about it. Solar and wind sound like a better way to go.

Steve

T.J.

11:06pm | Nov. 26, 2006

It's amazing what's happening in the elect. /green world right now. Anyone know more about Ion America Corp. and their fuel cells for use in homes & airplanes? If a cheap home fuel cell comes out to store solar elect. at night (that's generated from the likes of Nanosolar, Daystar & Miasole), then all the pieces of the puzzle are there: zero emission homes/cars:24/7, via free sun power. It's the next big Silicon Valley thing for the coming decade (or more). The former revolution was about information, this one is about converting the planet to green power.Watch for future oil prices to plummet. Guess at some point we'll find out the REAL bottom cost of oil. Long before that time a lot of people will have solar homes & Tesla cars.

Peter J Hedge

8:19am | Nov. 27, 2006

Re: $8,000 surcharge

If the Tesla Sedan is to be sold "Globaly" (albeit not for a year or so) does this mean that the $8,000 surcharge for owners living outside of the current 4 areas will end?. i.e. will it be possible for local mechancs to "service" all Tesla vehicles or will some sort of maintenance "franchise" be set up ?

Thanks

Marcel

11:06am | Nov. 27, 2006

"If a cheap home fuel cell comes out to store solar elect. at night (that’s generated from the likes of Nanosolar, Daystar & Miasole), then all the pieces of the puzzle are there: zero emission homes/cars:24/7, via free sun power"

A Current fuel cell is only 40% efficient, it's better to store the energy in a Li-Ion battery, together with charger it is 80% efficient.

Dear Lisa,
Thanks for your blog post. It was interesting to read about the engineering and non-enginering challenges you faced and how you overcame them. Your locked-door naming session reminds me of similar sessions I've attended! What is it with names!?!?
Good luck. I am hoping you all will be wildly successful.

Tesla Motors is like a dream come true to me. My career goal is an engineering position for Tesla Motors.

The Tesla is everything I have ever wanted in a car. A Lotus chassis and suspension coupled to a zero emission powertrain with tremendous potential for acceleration and durability. What more could I ask for?

I am a 23yr old Electrical Engineering student who is passionate about the automobile industry. I believe technology and knowledge are noble paths for progress in myself and it should be reflected in everything I do. I'm an excellent communicator and love to learn new things. I have experiance in the automotive engineering field but still need to complete my senior year at DeVry.

Everyday would be nirvana to me if I worked on the Tesla, either in the field or in the laboratory. My only dread would be not earning enough money to afford one.

T Lewis

11:07pm | Nov. 27, 2006

I'm just curious, why did you need to access the highlights on the bumper? What was that about exactly?

When you look at a car, your brain understands the shape, in the most part, from the highlights (reflections) on the painted surface. When the exterior surfaces of a car are being developed, a lot of time and effort goes into ensuring that the highlights are good: smooth edges to the reflections, no strange changes in direction or width and, most of all, reflections which describe the surface well and give the right impression. Automotive stylists in every studio in the world use highlights to accentuate strong features, disguise weaker ones (where we inconsiderate engineers insist on making things legal and feasible) and generally make the car’s exterior surface look nearly as fabulous as the Tesla Roadster! In the picture, the clay modeler is using a piece of foil to check that the highlights on the bumper surface are good.

David E.

12:01am | Nov. 28, 2006

I think of all the blogs I've read here on teslamotors.com this is my favorite. It's interesting to get a look inside the company and learn about what you are doing. I hope I can get to one of the car shows next year and see the car live.

Heath Mills

12:23am | Nov. 28, 2006

I'm going to go out on a limb and say my favorite color option is "very orange." It's definitely a bold option.

Pete A.

7:05am | Nov. 28, 2006

Dr. Van Den Houten wrote about the SUT from Phoenix Motorcars, but was unsure of the battery type. Phoenix is using Altairnano's lithium titinate Nanosafe battery.

Malcolm Wilson

7:12am | Nov. 28, 2006

Talking of colours, can someone confirm the exact colour of the red protoype being driven in various videos and magazine articles. Is it Fusion Red or Radiant Red? Personally, I'm torn between that one and Racing Green.

Tony Belding

8:13am | Nov. 28, 2006

I had a tough time going between Arctic White and Very Orange. White is a futuristic, clean, high-tech look. . . It's the color of spaceships. But you know, there are an awful lot of white cars on the highway. A truly high-performance car deserves an aggressive paint scheme, and I don't think there's anything more aggressive than Very Orange.

Thanks Thomas-I play Roy Orbisons song "GOD LOVES YOU"-for your Ears only....
It begins: I was somebody,on nobodys mind,a funny kind of winner loosing all the time,on My way to somewhere with no place to go,then you said hello................and now I walk with you talk with you,your always near....

Pete A.

9:46am | Nov. 28, 2006

Here is another sporty EV that I hadn't heard about, its the Electrum Spyder from U.E.V. (www.universalelectricvehicle.com). Not nearly as much detail on this website as with the Tesla website, but interesting none the less. They will be making their 'world premiere (and taking orders) at the Alternative Car and Transportation Expo in Santa Monica, December 9 - 10 [non-working URL link removed.] Car is priced at $69,995. Tesla doesn't seem to be represented at this one, spread too thin, what with the L.A. Auto Show running from December 1 - 10, I guess.

Stephen

11:57am | Nov. 28, 2006

Please send you CAD drawings to Polyphony Digital so we can all drive the Tesla virtually in the upcoming Gran Turismo 5 (GT5) for PS3 due out in 2008. This would be a terrific way to market Tesla to the next generation of environmentally conscience drivers.

Why do the Americans only get to play ? Europeans want a look in too. You could run an engineeer in the major European cities such as Geneva, Paris, London and I am certain with Congestion Charging in London due to rise to over USD40 a day, your waiting list will end up past the Kyoto Agreement expiry of 2012. Please consider letting a few slip over the Atlantic - you could even put them on eBay and we could pay using PayPal ?

Marcel: but what about the cost of Li-on?-and having to replace batteries in a few yrs. too? (& heat management ). Don't know about these issues re. fuel cells, but think it's better-of course battery advancements are on t he way (& fuel cell advances).Maybe one day someone will make a streetlight that has a solar cell canopy above hooked up to efficient light/ battery -all one unit (perhaps canopy tracks the sun). Unit made to universally fit on the end of most streetlight pole brands. When bulb/battery burns out, replace light & canopy as a unit. Keep a hookup to grid elect. that swicthes in only if have prolonged sunless days, when needed. One day when all the components become good enough/cheap enough it could happen. A city would save a lot on its power here. I see a day when all city lights,business signs-whatever-will be powered off stored solar elect.

Ryan Keesee

7:48am | Nov. 29, 2006

I know everybody is really excited about what the car can do, but a sports car not only has to perform, its got to look good as well. Not to be overly critical, but the paint schemes seem a little bland. Why are there only solid colors available? For the next generation of American Sports car (I know the roadster is being built in England for now, but that should change, shouldn't it?) shouldn't buyers have the option of buying a Tesla in the traditional American racing paint scheme, dark blue with two white strips? Except for the more striking colors, like the very orange, the colors seem like the same ones you'd get on a cover for an MP3 player. Perhaps Tesla Motors could offer a custom paint option for a premium prior to delivery? I'm sure that the original 200 buyers might be willing to fork over another 8 to 10k for the paint job of their choice. This way Tesla could retain control over th quality of the paint. The only thing worse than a bland colored sports car is sports car with a bad paint job. Tesla could also farm out the work to local paint shops in California, further promoting the car. Sorry if my post offends, but I personally think the roadster would look great in navy blue, but that's not a color option. If I could afford one of the roadsters, I would definitely look into a custom paint job.

Jim Wells

10:01am | Nov. 29, 2006

SLEEPER NEWS!

WOW--- "He (Martin) and his accountants are evaluating offers on three locations -- the Central Valley, the Triangle region of North Carolina, which includes Raleigh, and Flagstaff, Ariz. -- and hope to have a recommendation soon.

Flagstaff appears to be at the top of the list. (YES!!!!)

Mr. Eberhard would not identify a specific site, but the only available industrial land in the Flagstaff area is 815 acres at Camp Navajo, an Army National Guard post that the Army Corps of Engineers is developing for commercial and industrial use.

Steve Jaronik, business development recruiter for the Greater Flagstaff Economic Council, touts the city's trails, its clean air at 7,500 feet and the presence of Northern Arizona University. The city is "on the 40" (Interstate 40), two hours from Phoenix and has a major rail link. "

ALRIGHT Tesla---AND some other Great Things about Flagstaff---

1. Growing Upscale University City---Not too big---but great location for Tesla Creators to raise a family and have access to a high tech area.

2. Close to Scottsdale AZ---a $$$$$$$ base of customers that will go wild for the Tesla.

3. Clean Air and beautiful Vistas while being close to Phoenix's source of aerospace---high tech workforce that will LOVE to be a part of Tesla. I've got several friends who are Hughes engineers--factory setup managers salavating over the roadster and ready to write that check for the sedan....who would be great additons to Tesla.

4. Arizona is a "new" State with fresh ideas and people ready to jump in on this project.

I wish good luck to all the cities...any one of them will be fortunate to see the arrival of Tesla!

# Why do the Americans only get to play ? Europeans want a look in too.

Take it up with your government. Homologation for the EU costs big bucks. Meeting the US regulatory requirements was a very ambitious thing for Tesla to attempt -- those regulations constitute one of the biggest reasons why "small fry" auto companies can't make it on their own. The cost of compliance is high, and only the big auto companies have deep enough pockets -- not to mention the large, experienced staff -- necessary to jump the government-imposed hurdles without going broke.

The Teslans have said that they hope to expand to Canada, England, and other international markets, eventually. But they have to climb one hill at a time. Their "staggered" staging may be frustrating for some of us, but this is how you build a big enterprise out of a few guys swapping ideas in a garage. If they can ship all the cars they have already sold, and get a reliable, continuous production line going, I think you will see less expensive Teslas and internationalized Teslas in relatively short order. That first milestone is just around the corner. Let's see if they make it. Go, go, Tesla!

T.J.

5:32pm | Nov. 29, 2006

Flagstaff o.k. for factory, but it gets cold alright-better insulate the buidling well. Reno would be similar-except closer to S.F.-and is where Altairnano battery Co. is located (future Tesla supplier ?)- what would Nevada offer in incenitves?-state wants tech. industry, I know that. Las Vegas is also tied in w/ rail/interstate-but land close in no longer cheap. But if factory will be new "green" (solar,etc.) building, could drop it on outskirts of any city, where land is cheaper. Dig a well for water and use "ground source" cooling for HVAC (the latest rage). That way Tesla could get "the dirt" dirt cheap-and have a LEED platinum rated building to boot. As for Gov. Arnie & Calif.-he/it is making a mistake-match the other state incentives and get on with it. Ya!- Do they want to be in on the start of something big & 21st century or not!?

Just seen your web page, just met your company.
I only have one question, which may sound stupid, though here it comes...

What's the difference between a Tesla vehicle, which works with electricity, and an ordinary "oil sucking" car, when it comes to pollution?
Electricity comes from someplace right? The only difference I can see, is that the energy factories that convert oil into electricity are far from downtown, yet on the same planet! In economy it doesn't make a difference either, cause if the oil goes up, ones electricity bill(not Clinton) will soon follow. Unless, of course, one has a "wind powered"(sorry but I from Greece and my vocabulary lacks specialized terms) electricity generator.

Nevertheless, cities like L.A really needed such a vehicle. Toyota Prius is a hybrid, and too damn slow! I think Lexus has something quite as fast, but still a hybrid. I hope you won't receive my question as criticism. I really admire your work.
By the way, your design gives out a sense of elegance and quality, something rarely found in US car market. Well done, excellent website as well!

If Tesla built a plant on the outskirts of an urban area, off the grid & other utilities, they could probably save on land a lot more than the extra cost of doing a green building -and then,of course, they keep saving via zero ultiity bills, and their plant tech. matches their car tech.-it's poifect!!

T.J.

8:55pm | Nov. 29, 2006

Idea for a happeningTesla plant (on ample outlying site): dig out a spiral area into the ground, use dug out earth to berm up around in spiral -berm sides at 45 degree slope (wonderfully landscaped with colorful groundcover-except at longer southerly side, where berm spiral is covered with solar panels), put thick rammed earth vertical wall on top of spiralling berm so that whole wall struct. would be very insulating. For a roof do a radial tensioned cable struct. like Frei Otto pioneered: steel vertical rods with tensioned cables at top & bottom-good for long spans & circular shape. Car parts ramp down along start of spiral, finished cars ramp out at end of spiral. Roof is partly of translucent insulated plastic panels (like "Cemcell" Co.)-good light to make cars with.Or, cheaper alternate: two long, parallel pre-cast conc. A-frames-with roof cables spanning between,stretching down outside walls-or just throw a space frame roof over it-with bearing on tops of A-frames. Walls @ 45 degree slope, suitable for landscaping to certain height outside. Inside A-frames are: office spaces, parts storage, cafe,whatever. Narrow space at A-frame top good for running round HVAC ducts-with feeder ducts going out over plant floor.A-frames make good insulation buffer for main plant floor area, and good for separating plant HVAC system from support area HVAC. So: A-frames serve as walls, floor area for office & other support space, and support the roof struct.- and are insulating buffer space , all in one-and it would go up fast.

T.J.

9:09pm | Nov. 29, 2006

P.S. to plant on outskirts of more urban area: people working at plant might have to drive a little, but whatever " commute" there was would be a clear sailing one: counter to the commute directions of people driving to the urban area . An outlying area with new housing example would be the "corridor" between L.V. & mesquite Nv., with "new town" housing area of Coyoye Springs being built nearby.

T.J.

12:05am | Nov. 30, 2006

With dual "A-frame" plant design, with top-bearing space frame roof, walls would be about 30' high and, say, 200'-300' long? So south facing A-frame could be covered in solar thin-sheet panels, conveniently "pre-angled" at 45 degrees. That's a lot of solar-use some of it to charge car batteries before they leave the plant. Seal off plant end walls with translucent "Cemcell" type plastic wall panels w/ styrofoam core-below which are huge custom glass "garage doors". swinging up. Roof would have large skylights, so get best light quality combo of natural & artificial. Could be kind of an updated "Bauhaus blast from the past" look: simple, substantial looking, spacious, easy & fast to build, ( like a pre-fab) durable-and 100% green.Later, one day, drop the same design in other parts of the world-Europe, Asia, Antarctica (or not).

kert

12:19am | Nov. 30, 2006

Please, in light of recent news from EDTA, could you please reassure us that people at Tesla are aware of new emerging battery alternatives offered by A123Systems, Valence, Altair Nano and also Bollore Batscap. While they do not compare to Sony or Sanyo in production capacity, note that by now all of them have demonstrated their technology at EV-scale.
High charge/discharge rates, in some cases better Wh/kg, high cycle life and least but not least safety are the factors that could trigger the point of EVs becoming suddenly entirely practical for the masses. For example, if you got tens of thousands of charge-discharge cycles life in the batteries, the entire argument for replacing the battery packs now and then for EVs and factoring those in for cost-per-mile of driving fades away. High charge-discharge rates might make regen braking easier, and given appropriate infrastructure 10-minute "tank refill" might become feasible.
So could you please give us and indication that you are keeping an eye on these new emerging technologies ? :)

In saying "appropriate infrastructure," you have said a mouthful. You need to be able to deliver around 50 KWh in 10 minutes. This is, for point of comparison, roughly the amount of electricity that my home consumes in 60 hours (2.5 days, 3600 minutes). So, the electrons must flow at 360 times the normal household rate, requiring high currents & voltages (say 30,000V @ 10A), very thick, short cabling, power-station class insulation and foolproof couplings to get the job done efficiently and safely. From what I've seen and heard so far, we are a long way from "self-serve pumps" that can deliver that kind of juice in the wide range of ambient conditions under which gasoline pumps typically operate. While I am happy to return to the times when we had true "service stations," I doubt that experienced power company linemen and substation operators would be lining up to form a new cadre of filling station attendants. If and when "quick charge" stations ever come about, it will be interesting to see how they deal with their recruitment and staffing needs. Will we see ITT Institute advertising classes in how to become an EV "power replenisment specialist," for instance?

For the foreseeable future (as far as I can see, anyway -- knowledgeable insiders might want to weigh in on this!), gradual recharging by either inductive means or direct plug-in to common outlets or special couplings will be the dominant method of refilling your EV's "tank." This would seem to limit recharging to a rate of around 2 miles of additional range per charging minute, maybe 3. Most rechargeable batteries that one might use in a modern EV can already recharge at a similar rate, so increasing the recharge speed would seem to add no real value for the consumer.

An alternative might be to design the battery packs so that they can be replaced in minutes, which would allow them to be "traded in" for fully charged packs at the "filling stations." Deploying an infrastructure for determining and guaranteeing the quality and capacity of trade-in batteries, and swapping them quickly and safely, would seem to be an easier task than building out a network of what would essentially be electrical substations. But I guess we'll see how this all plays out with future EVs. Since the Tesla Roadster includes a "hardwired" battery, for which replacement is major service, we'll soon have a lot of data about how practical the home-plug in and more leisurely recharge cycle are, as that will be the only viable option for Roadster owners.

busybee64

12:00pm | Nov. 30, 2006

$15 million is a chunk of change, but not a lot from a long term, large scale business perspective. There are other reasons to keep the Tesla factory in California. Arnold Schwarzenegger often promotes California products, and his publicity is worth that alone (to give you some perspective, commercials for CBS's Survivor finales bring in about that amount of money alone). Second, California's Senator Boxer will be chair of the Environment Committee, and any mention on the floor of the Senate in global warming discussion is priceless. It's her job to keep jobs in California. Give her and Feinstein a call. Third, if you plan like Google to build some of your own solar energy capacity, California has better incentives than other states. Finally, you have to look at the education, skills and work ethic of the people you'll employ. California has a plethora of superb universities, amibitious immigrants, but unfortunately crap K-12 schools. Whatever you decide, good luck. I think you guys will be immensely more satisfied in life knowing that you are helping to change world transport for the better rather than merely making money.

Christian Vega

12:05pm | Nov. 30, 2006

Philip,

I just checked out the website,

Man Oh Man I want one of these cars. I'm not a millionaire though. If you can, put one on layaway for the next 10 years please. The colors and the options are so sick. Let me know when I can test-drive one of these bad babies. I will be looking for them in the future.

Christian V.

Dustin Hampton

12:14pm | Nov. 30, 2006

Don't get me wrong this car is an engineering masterpiece with the time and effort that has gone into this car, but all I see is an electric Lotus Elise... a friend of mine has an Elise and it is an amazing car. I was disappointed that none of your performance graphs, numbers etc. do not compare the Roadster to the Elise. I find the Elise to be a very fuel efficient car with high performance and it's M.S.R.P. is less than half the price of the Roadster... I would like to see Tesla justify the price vs performance of the Roadster and Elise.

You guys are going to make so much money!! I am seriously thinking about leaving medicine to become a car salesman for Tesla. Any opening?

danny jensen

1:50pm | Nov. 30, 2006

ive read that altair nanotechnologies inc. have made some breakthrough discoveries with their new nano safe lithium ion battery, increasing energy density and decreasing recharge time (very fast recharge) - sounds like tesla and altair inc. together could really change the word of automobiles! - is this going to happen?

when does the sedan hit the european market?

---

Editor's comment: Tesla Motors makes it a point to stay on top of emerging technologies. Also, check out Martin's Balance blog.

So Glad to see the electric car development moving foward with souch a great new company ie Tesla motor co, and souch a cool car. There now is phenix motor company to with there truck thats great ! I also hear that Tesla will be making a more afordabel model like the EV 1, Thats what ill have to wait for. I was partly off the grid for a long time. My system was simple and cheap yousing three 80 amp alternaters that where driven by a home bilt paddel wheel under are floating dock (the curent swift enought nearly all the time) charging a bank of 6 deap-cycel batters that ran a large 8000 what inverter suplying all the 110 needs only gridding the 220 apliences. I had a taler-dune electric truck for years that i got at a astate sale ( just for around the place) not going over 12 mph. I miss that thing it went with the place. Three years back I decited to make a ride-on toy for my dahter. I looked about on the net about electric cars and dicoverd the EV-1. Being from Portland OR there was little about it all but GM did air that taribel Ad on TV that far north. Anyway The electric truck (a therd scale model T) I made for my Dahter was dificult dew to those 14 inch wheels, nothing just off the shelf could drive the thing at a low enough speed. Those schooter setups would not dew and i wanted it to be driven by a standerd battery make that in 20 years would still be avilable, Lawnd tractor battery (u-1 class deap-cycel. This has led me to look around ordering a 5 to 1 gear set, bearings, a 6 inch rubber wheel, two shaft cuplings, two bearings that press fitt on one of the cuplings with a 2 inch od. Making a cluch bell that presses over one bearing that is stepped out to 2and7/8 with cooling hols driled in it for cooling. Making a disk that held 4 shoos (orianted so bidirectional . this is also pressed onto the cupling just to the bell bearing creating a cluch, the other bearing pressed on the cupling has a ring pressed on the OD of it with a 7/16 bolt welded to it. A three speed 1/4 hp 2.5 amp 110 volt reversabel blower motor (under 100 dollers) had to be keyd (they have long shafts ) to fit the cupling so now the cupling ( that has the cluch on it)can now slide on the shaft. The 6 inch rubber wheel pressd onto the other cupling and on to the pinion side of the gear box. the motor is set at 90 degreas and hinged to be inline with the rubber 6 inch wheel spring tention it so now bell of the cluch is aginst the rubber wheel but can travers it. You now have a cabel controld CVT transmition. On the end of the output shaft is a 3.5 to 1 raio sprocet to the axel All this is incorperated into the swing arm of the truck fitting under the bed yet still having 6 inches of clearance no problem eith the chane drive cumming off. There are a few other things the inverter the safty systems and controls. The truck is 120 lbs batterys included it gose between 3 and a whopping 17 mph It has and needs a seat-belt . Its all fun But what i have taken note of is its incredibel range it has a spedometer on that you have to devide the figure in two its made for a 27 inch wheel (the only anologe one i could fined) it gose 17 miles befor the low batt alarm beeps hear and there. Thats three days of playing off and on it all day. I think diching the two speed gear box and going CVT is the bigest step that the electric cars can take The Belt (cvt belt drive like in snow mobiles) last a long time it would be somthing that would need to be replaced like every 100 thousand miles at the most. Think of the regeration propertys of this wile slowing down the CVT could keep the motor/generater at a higher speed for longer ranges and power consuption could be further refined all computer controld . A controlabel CVT like whats in a Mill or a wood lath anny raio can be acheved within the limmit of shive diameter A 6 to 1 to a 1 to 6 all vary fast via a servo . Why not?

Teriffic to see that some one is prepered to put his money where his mounth is. Now I just wonder how soon can we exspect to see this product on the Australia market. I be the first to bui one. I am just sick to be ript off by the oil company's and the car manufactures for spare parts. You want a replacement part and they try to sell you a halve car. Please let us here know when the first one is available.

I'm amazed at what your company has accomplished in such little time. It's inspiring. I look forward to the day when your electric cars are affordable for the middle class. I believe your company is going to be the one to get customers to turn to all electric vehicles. And "Tesla" is such a badass name. It beats "Chevy Volt." haha.